This massive, informative guide on survival basics from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will teach you how to turn pants into a backpack, how to make an emergency lantern with a plastic bottle, and much more.

It’s always good to be prepared when you’re trekking out into the wilderness, but survival gear can take up all of your space that’s better served for tasty things like sandwiches. This custom five-in-one survival watch has you covered.

You've heard it a lot, but it bears repeating: you need to back up your computer, because your hard drive will fail one day. Beyond those file backups, though, are many other things we need to have a backup for—ranging from work and finances to personal needs.

A few hours watching the Discovery Channel can prompt extreme survival fantasies involving frog licking and urine drinking, but what basic skills would you actually need to survive in the wilderness? Here's a look at the basics you need to become an adult Boy Scout straight from a cadre of survival experts.

If you're going on a solo trip or even for a walk alone at night, it's a good idea to let a loved one know you're safe (or possibly not). Kitestring is a simple webapp that checks up on you and sends a text message to your emergency contacts if you don't respond by a designated time.

Emergency kits can take many forms: simple first-aid, survival, seasonal needs for your car, or even a full-blown doomsday kit for when times get really bad. Whatever kind of emergency kit you've made, we'd like to see it.

On a good day, you'll get to the airport, breeze through security, get on your plane, and take off and land on time. Most of us know how often that actually happens, however, and have come to expect delays of some kind. While you can't make the trip go any faster, you can put together a kit so you don't get bored,…

We'd like to believe everything will work out just fine, but often enough it doesn't. Spend a little time this weekend familiarizing yourself with what you should do in case something unexpectedly bad happens, whether that turns out to be anything from a weather emergency or a surprise stomach problem.

While it won't power your home or anything requiring a ton of electricity, you can use a cola can and a penny to create a battery. It might get you out of a bind if you need a little bit of power and you've just got soda and some change.

When out in the woods alone, or if you get separated from a group, it helps to have an acorn cap available. If you need to call for help (or just attention), redditor prater77 explains a simple technique you can use to create a very loud whistle.

Whether the power's out and you need a light source or your romantic evening won't be complete without the scent of butter, this DIY candle from Instructables user The King of Random will give you both in minutes.

If you find yourself in a situation where you have no power, like many people on the East coast at the moment, redditor Tommy points out that you can light up an entire room with a jug of water and a flashlight.

A stockpile of non-perishable foods can get you through an emergency—whether you're preparing for a hurricane, blizzard, or the zombie apocalypse. Here's a guide that outlines the best foods to stock up on for those "just in case" times of need.

When you get pulled over, mugged, have an accident, or encounter some other emergency situation, it's hard to remember what to do. This infographic can help you remember if you put it in your smartphone or print it out to keep in your wallet.

Disasters—whether in the form of natural disasters, tech emergencies, or a ripped seam in your only pair of dress pants—are all about preparedness. Here are eight kits you should keep in your home to prepare yourself for the most common emergency situations you might face.